


The Broken Soul is Calling

by ImNotJoking_ImSirius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adoption, Gen, Pre-Hogwarts, Protective Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22750999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImNotJoking_ImSirius/pseuds/ImNotJoking_ImSirius
Summary: The spell Lord Voldemort cast to kill Harry Potter in Godric's Hollow backfired. When Lily Potter woke up, she found Harry in her crib, and heard the cries of another baby in the room. There could be no other explanations, Lord Voldemort had reverted to a little 'innocent' baby.Family Bonds only, no pairings. Alternate prophecy.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	1. 31st October 1981

Chapter 1  
The dust was still settling when Lily’s eyes fluttered, still on the edge of unconsciousness. She could hear a loud wailing cry close by, but there was a muffled sniffle and hiccup closer, in the direction of the crib. 

‘Harry!’ Lily sat up quickly, coughing and looking around frantically. The heat from the explosion was stinging her eyes and burning her throat every breath she took. She found Harry still in his crib, tear streaks staining his chubby red cheeks, pieces of gyprock from the destroyed walls was coating him and his crib. She looked around towards the other wailing sound, and saw a bundle of cloth near the doorway.

What had happened?, thought Lily, as she picked up Harry out of the crib, covered his mouth with his crib blanket, and slowly walked towards the crying bundle. She spotted her wand, thankfully still intact, lying on the floor near the changing table. Gripping Harry, she bent down to pick it up.

“Lumos,” she whispered, so as not to frighten Harry any further. “James! James, are you okay?” She waved her wand around the room, still coughing from the burning in her throat. The wailing crying was getting shrill, it sounded like it was in pain, whatever it was. 

Think, Lily, think! We were downstairs finishing up dinner, James offered to take Harry up for his bath, but there was a noise outside that took his attention…

Flashes appeared in her mind, confusing shouts and screams, but there were more pressing matters at the moment. The shrill cry seemed to be getting louder, and as Lily, still clutching a sniffling Harry, bent down to shift the pile of cloth bundled near the door. They appeared to be wizards robes, but they didn’t match anything James owned.

Stand aside, silly girl. Stand aside! Lily let out a sob as she remembered Lord Voldemort had been standing in Harry’s doorway. As she moved the cloth, she saw a tiny little clenched fist waving to get free from the material. Once it had one hand free, there was a frustrated cry that replaced the high shrieks, and the bundle of wizard robes were pushed aside to reveal the scrunched up red face of a small baby, smaller than Harry.

She cast a quick scourgify on the nearby rocking chair, and placed Harry in it. She quickly cast a cushioning charm on the floor around it, in case he fell, and she turned back to the baby. “Homenum revelio!” she cast towards the middle of the house, hoping against all odds that it would reveal James inside. When nothing came back, she fought back the tears, not knowing if it was the tears or the dust now stinging her eyes. She had Harry, and this new baby, to get to safety before anything else. 

“Dumbledore! Dumbledore, he must know what to do!” She immediately sent out her doe patronus, and it cantered out of the hole in the wall. She cast some supporting charms on the structure of the room so movement wouldn’t cause any more damage. After a second thought, she sent a patronus to Sirius too, a boiling anger rising in her when she thought of what Peter must have done. 

Take Harry and run, it’s him! Lily heard James’ voice ringing in her ears, the last thing he’ll ever say to her. She couldn’t go and find his body, since she had the two babies with her. She wasn’t ready to pick up the little one, since she had her suspicions of what had happened and was not prepared to touch it. Could it really be him, she eyed the baby suspiciously. It still had it’s fists clenched and face screwed up in frustration, but it was no longer shrieking. It had deep brown eyes, a little button nose covered with snot, it’s cheeks were tear-stained and red, like Harry’s were, and it had a small tuft of dark brown hair. 

Gently rocking the rocking chair Harry was in, and cooing him back to sleep, she kept an eye on the baby on the floor bundled up in the robes while she waited for Dumbledore and Sirius. She had found a wand when she searched the robes around the baby, and hid it in one of the drawers on the changing table, feeling a bit silly trying to hide her actions from the watching baby. 

She wasn’t too sure how much time had passed, she had been trying to piece together her fragments of the night’s events, right up till she had woken up with a start to find Harry alive. She heard the voice before seeing anyone arrive,

“Lily! Lily! James?” a gruff, worried voice carried through the house. 

“I’m up here Siri! Please! Where’s James?” Lily called out towards the hallway. 

She heard his footsteps over the rubble, and then they went silent.

“NO! JAMES, MERLIN NO!” she heard Sirius’s voice break, he must have found James’ body on his way up to her. Lily cried, “Siri, please!” Her tears broke their barrier and she cried at the heartache she could hear in Sirius’s voice, and as if it were the finality of knowing that James was definitely gone. 

“Lily, where’s Harry?” Sirius had had to leave James, knowing he had to protect Harry, and Lily. As he entered Harry’s room he used his wand to shift the remaining dusty air out of the room, and cleared a path in the rubble towards Lily and Harry, spotting him still miraculously asleep in the rocking chair. 

“Harry’s sleeping, he’s alive, thank Merlin he’s alive!” She sobbed again, “I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t leave Harry, but I couldn’t leave that there either!” She pointed a finger at the baby sitting in the pile of robes. 

At Lily’s disgust, Sirius looked over and saw the baby, scrunched up red face and fists clenched, eying his every move. “Who’s baby is that, Lily? What...”

“I think it’s him,” she forced out, thinking about all that had happened had really made her anger rise, not being able to match the vile Lord Voldemort with the baby in the robes, she couldn’t look at it any longer. 

“Him? Lily, I don’t understand…” Sirius’ brow was furrowed in confusion, “Peter… He was secret keeper… but how? How could it be him!” 

“No, it’s not Peter, Peter was the rat we should have seen! He broke our Fidelius to You-Know-Who. He came tonight, kill-” she broke down with another sob, “killed James, and tried to kill Harry.” 

“You think this baby is… that this little thing… is Lord Voldemort?” Sirius looked Lily dead in the eye, thinking she was joking. It must be a joke, for how could Lord Voldemort end up as a baby, and in Harry’s bedroom, and had just killed James? “Don’t joke!”

“HOW CAN I JOKE WHEN JAMES IS DEAD SIRI. YOU SAW HIS BODY!” She shouted. Harry stirred in the rocking chair, and Lily had to rub his belly to quieten him down, cooing at him through her sobs. 

Sirius worked through the confusion, his facial expressions went from furrowed brows, to a twitch above his right eye that always twitched when he was exceptionally angry, which didn’t happen often. The last time she had seen that, he had been disowned by his family when they were sixteen. His breathing got louder, and quicker, and his fingers tightened around the wand in his hand.

“I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him for killing James!” Sirius jumped up from beside Lily and pointed his wand at the baby. 

Before he could cast any spell, his wand shot out of his hand and soared across the room to the doorway, where Dumbledore stood, the most serious face Lily had ever seen on him. 

“You mustn’t Sirius. He must live.” His voice was soft, but carried across the room and stilled Sirius’ movements. 

“How dare you say that, DID YOU SEE WHAT HE DID! He’s a murderous bast-” 

“Watch your language, Sirius!” Lily cut across him, looking back at Harry, making sure he was still sleeping. She had been startled by Dumbledore’s sudden appearance, but thankful he didn’t apparate straight into Harry’s room. 

Sirius sank to the floor, wandless, and deflated. He couldn’t look at that thing any longer, he couldn’t be in the same room as it! It had killed his best friend, the father of his godchild, and they wanted to keep it alive. 

“It doesn’t deserve to live” he choked back a sob as he moved over and scooped up Harry. Holding him tight, and being gentle so that he didn’t wake the sleeping baby, he moved over to the other end of the room, not wanting to separate him from Lily, but needing to be as far away from that as possible, and needing to keep his hands busy. 

Dumbledore was silent as he cast several charms around the room, and towards the baby on the floor. 

“I am sorry for the loss of James,” he said softly, towards Lily, after he had finished casting his charms. He bent to pick up the baby, which squirmed and let out another loud wailing cry. Lily quickly grabbed one of Harry’s spare blankets from the nearby dresser and helped Dumbledore wrap the naked baby in warmth. Lily, assuming the baby was safe, now that Dumbledore had picked it up, summoned two milk bottles from the fridge. One went straight to Sirius, who placed it on the table near the door, still rocking a sleeping Harry. The second bottle went to Dumbeldore, two small fists opened up and reached for the bottle before either of them could move it any closer. The baby drank quickly and still had his big brown eyes watching both Dumbledore and Lily. 

“Is it really…” Lily asked, dreading the answer. 

“Yes. This is, or was, Lord Voldemort.” Dumbledore replied. “I am not sure what has happened here this evening, but we must proceed. We need to get out of Godric’s Hollow, and we must secure this wreck before the Ministry, or any Death Eaters can enter. I will call for assistance, and will leave you and Sirius to tend to James…” His gaze moved over Lily, and towards Sirius, holding Harry. The broken family would rise from this, he was sure. Lily and Harry had a big support network around them, and he would not let them fall. Quietly, he gave a slow nod towards Lily and Sirius, and walked out of the room carrying baby Lord Voldemort. 

Lily hugged herself tight and moved towards Sirius, “We have to…” she started, not sure how to word the rest of it. Bury James? Put Harry down so they could move James’ body from the house? She couldn’t bear to leave Harry, but she had to see James. She dropped her gaze and stopped talking to Sirius, she grabbed his elbow gently, and led him out of Harry’s room. As they left the room and came out onto the landing, she saw James’ body, lying halfway up the stairs. She rushed down to him, and fell to the steps next to him. She lifted his head and cradled it in her lap, moving brown strands off his face and gazing into his unblinking eyes. She wished she could see into his soul, but it was gone. There was nothing left of him but the shell of his body. She hugged him close and released her sobs, crying her heart and remembering the short years they had enjoyed together. She had Harry, and she had the last little piece of James in her belly, the last gift he could give her. 

The next 24 hours were a blur to Lily, Dumbledore came back with a number of Order of the Phoenix members, and they began the cleanup and securing of the house. Lily noticed a few onlookers out on the street, she gave a sad nod to Bathilda Bagshot as she shuffled along and stood to watch from a distance.

Together with Sirius, they had managed to move James’ body; Sirius had conjured up an elaborate coffin with satin and velvet lining, and they placed James into it. They crossed his arms, and cleaned him up, “It’s just like he’s sleeping,” Lily had whispered, feeling the knot reforming in her stomach, knowing it was a sleep he’d never wake from. 

Harry had woken up just before dawn, crying so loudly. Nothing Lily or Sirius could do would calm him, he was sobbing, “Da! Da! Da!” His fists were opening and clenching at nothing, somehow in the direction Lily knew James was, downstairs. 

What felt like hours later, when the sun was sitting closest to the middle of the sky, Sirius nudged Lily, who had been sitting in the lounge chair, clutching Harry, and softly said, “It’s time to leave, Lils. The house has been secured, we need to take James’ b-” he stopped the sob trying to leave his chest, ‘take him and find a new place to set up the Fidelius.”

“I can’t -” Lily started, as Dumbledore walked into the living room. “My dear Lily, you have been so brave.” He had moved forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, as he looked down into her wet eyes, and at Harry, finally sleeping again, in her lap. 

“I have pulled a few strings, and there is a site in the graveyard beside the church that will be held for James, we can send out a message to those closest to you and ask if they will visit for a short service. But we must leave today, I have set up some quarters for you temporarily in Hogwarts. It would be the safest place right now.”

Lily just nodded and snuggled Harry closer to her. “How do I tell him his daddy is gone..” she whispered to no one in particular, but shifted a strand of Harry’s dark brown hair off his forehead. “He’s so much like him,”

“I’ll go grab Harry’s bag, Lils, all your things have been packed up,” Sirius started, and Dumbledore cut in, “and the house elves from Hogwarts are ready to move everything into the quarters there.” Sirius left the room after a quick stroke of Harry’s head. 

“Thankyou, Dumbledore, truly, Thankyou. I don’t know what Harry, Siri and I would have done without you.” Lily sniffled, and gave a watery smile to Dumbledore. “We hadn’t told anyone else yet, but I am pregnant again. James was over the moon when we found out. We were -” she sobbed again, “were going to wait to tell everyone, but I think Hogwarts will be the safest place right now. Thankyou,” 

“Congratulations, Lily. May I?” He gestured towards Harry, and Lily nodded, standing up and handing over Harry in his bundle of blankets. 

“He is so much like James, yes. But he has been blessed with your eyes, Lily.” Harry had stirred and opened up his eyes. Looking at Dumbledore, he seemed to take a deep breath and held it for a moment, before screaming out “DA! DA! DA! DA! DA!” However, Harry wasn’t squirming to get away from Dumbledore, he grabbed a fistful of Dumbledore’s beard, and pulled. Thankfully Dumbledore’s beard was so long it didn’t pull his head down with it. 

“Oh, I’m sorry! Harry, let go now baby, I’m sorry” she said again, trying to wrench the white hair out of Harry’s fist. “Daddy’s not here right now, shhhh it’ll be okay, we’ll be okay” she was stroking Harry’s face and continued cooing at him until he was just whispering “Da, da, da, da” and hiccupping.

Sirius returned with a baby bag strung over his shoulder. “Oh, prongslet,” he signed as if Harry did this all the time. “Come to Padfoot.” He placed the bag on the floor, and Harry reached out both hands towards him, “Pa-foo, da?” 

“This kid doesn’t miss a thing, does he? I’m sorry Prongslet, he’s not here right now, want to go to Hogwarts? I’ll show you all of the secret-” 

“Oh no you won’t! I won’t have my little one corrupted before he can walk and talk properly!” Lily moved forward, but Sirius was too quick and turned around with Harry, lifting him high, “Me? Corrupt the heir to the Marauders? Not a chance, Lils. It’s already in his blood, isn’t it Prongslet” Sirius touched his nose to Harry’s, and Harry squealed in delight. “Pa-foo! Pa-foo!”

Lily picked up the baby bag with a small smile playing on her lips despite the devastating situation. She knew Sirius would be able to lighten up any mood, even when his best friend-- She stopped her train of thought, knowing it would bring more gut-wrenching sobs, “Let’s go, please.”

Dumbledore took Lily by the elbow, and placed a hand on Sirius’ shoulder. Harry looked at them all, then snuggled into Sirius’ shoulder too, placing a hand on the bare skin above Sirius’ collar. 

A loud crack was the last sound heard in Godric’s Hollow that afternoon, the final enchantments placed on the house were disillusioning and redirecting any onlookers to look elsewhere. The finality of what had happened that night would stay in the minds of all involved for years to come, and Dumbledore alone knew what must happen next for he alone had heard the full prophecy all those nights ago.


	2. There's been a prophecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer - I do not own any part of this story except for the idea - all characters, settings and plots that are similar to J.K. Rowling's work belongs to her.

Dumbledore had called for a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix at Hogwarts for late Sunday night. Sitting around the table in a staff room, with a number of privacy spells cast around it, were Headmaster Dumbledore on the end, with Lily Potter beside him, Sirius Black next to her, Remus Lupin next to Sirius, Kingsley Shacklebolt beside Remus, Severus Snape opposite Lily, Frank Longbottom opposite Sirius and his wife Alice next to Frank, Minerva McGonagall beside Alice and opposite Kingsley, and Mad-Eye Moody sat on the other end of the table, opposite Dumbledore. 

“It is with great sadness,”Dumbledore began, everyone quietening down at his sombre voice, “that we must begin this meeting with the terrible tragedy and loss of James Potter. You are all aware that Godric’s Hollow was compromised by one of our own, Peter Pettigrew. His whereabouts are currently unknown.” 

Lily had her gaze in her lap, fiddling with her hands. Sirius and Remus wore expressions of hatred that would have set the table on fire if they didn’t have full control over their magic. Frank and Alice were clutching hands, while Severus was watching Lily. 

“We have managed to keep the news out of the media, and the ministry has not caught wind of the events from last night, however I believe now is the time to be extra vigilant. No doubt the death eaters are wondering what has happened, and may lash out unexpectedly. Please, everyone must take extra precautions.”

“Constant Vigilance!” Shouted Mad-Eye, stomping his wooden leg on the floor under the table. 

“Frank, Alice,” Dumbledore looked towards the couple, “I strongly recommend you change locations, either come here to Hogwarts, or take Neville to your mother’s house, Frank. It appears Lord Voldemort has had our members on close watch.”

They nodded slowly in response, Alice trying to catch Lily’s eye, but she was still fiddling with her hands in her lap. Frank replied, “We will go to my mother’s, she has recently purchased extra protections for Longbottom Manor from the goblins at Gringott’s. She knew with us both in the Order, and now with Neville, that we would be high targets.” He squeezed Alice’s hand again. 

“What of the Dark Lord?” Severus asked quietly, after the silence got too much. Lily glanced up at him talking, but looked away quickly when she saw him still watching her.

“It was a miracle Lily and Harry survived,” Dumbledore started, glancing down at Lily. “Some powerful magic must have transpired between them and while the house at Godrics Hollow has been partially destroyed, there was no magical trace of Voldemort himself. However,” he hushed Sirius when he pushed his chair back and was about to call out in anger. “However, circumstances have risen that require our immediate attention. There is no Lord Voldemort, there is only the baby known as Tom Riddle.” He looked around at the blank faces around the room, he hadn’t shared his knowledge before on the true identity of the self-proclaimed Lord Voldemort, but going forth it seemed best to share that information now. 

“Tom.. Tom Riddle?” Minerva began, “You don’t mean, Slytherin head boy almost, what, 40 year ago?” She clutched at her chest, a stern look on her face. 

“Yes, Minerva. The very same. The young Tom Riddle that came to Hogwarts was an orphan, with a longing for power and thirst to prove himself. Without family, or friends, he never had a chance to see the light.”

“Are you making excuses for him?” said Sirius in a cold voice, now standing. Remus put his hand on Sirius’ arm. 

“I don’t think that’s it, Sirius. Listen,” Remus tugged him back to his seat. 

Kingsley, who had been sitting so still one could have mistaken him for a statue, leaned forward. “Dumbledore, are you saying Lord Voldemort has been given a chance to redeem himself?” Dumbledore had a twinkle in his eye, Kingsley was always to the point, and never missed the undertones of a conversation. 

“I believe so, Kingsley. I think the fates have intervened. However, I think there is more to this than any of us can dream of.” He paused. He slowly looked at each face around the table, and in the silence they all looked up to meet his gaze, wondering why he had stopped talking. 

“There has been a prophecy.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Unsure whether he had chosen the right path, Dumbledore had shared the prophecy with those in the room. They had discussed it well into the dawn hours, Minerva and Severus having to retire just before dawn, knowing they had duties to the school come Monday morning. 

Lily had asked Sirius and Remus to stay with her and Harry in the quarters at Hogwarts Dumbledore had provided, and the house elves had supplied extra rooms and a second bathroom for them. It appeared Hogwarts wanted them to stay longer than they had anticipated, and they didn’t argue since they didn’t have anything else more pressing than their family. 

After a restless night, Lily woke up to Harry’s mumbling, having placed his crib in her bedroom, as close to her bed as possible. She had woken almost every hour sitting bolt up right in bed, wondering if something had happened to Harry. Several times she had called out for James, only to have the silence of the night answer her. 

“The broken voice is calling… heed its double warning” she muttered to herself, “no, the broken voice is calling, do you hear its voice? No, that’s still not right. Ugh, what was it..” she trailed off as she lifted Harry into her arms, and walked out into the living space of her quarters. A small kitchenette had been put in the quarters, and she opened up the fridge door to get out a bottle for Harry. 

“The broken voice is calling, do you recognise its voice… heed it’s warning, no, heed it’s double warning, while you still have the choice. Mhmm,” she nodded to herself as she recalled Dumbledore’s words of the prophecy the night before. Harry was grabbing at the bottle and trying to tug it out of her hands and Lily smiled a small smile and signed, “What could be that double warning, Harry? Who’s voice are we hearing? Did we miss it?” Harry just looked at her and managed to snatch the bottle from her hands and lifted it up higher, smiling around the bottle in his mouth. 

“I agree, I hate prophecies too.” She smiled back at him as she heard a knock on her door. Hitching Harry to one hip, she went to open the door, and found Headmaster Dumbledore on the other side. A twinkle back in his eye, “Good morning, Headmaster. I wasn’t expecting visitors, so I apologise for the mess. Sirius and Remus are still sleeping I believe...” 

“Do not apologise Lily, it is my mistake for not sending word sooner, but I needed to speak with you, the sooner the better” Lily invited him in, and they sat on the comfy plush lounge set in the middle of the room, Dumbledore taking the high-backed single lounge chair. He watched Lily and Harry for a moment, gathering his thoughts. 

“What have you done with him?” Lily asked softly, before Dumbledore could begin. She was bouncing harry gently, adjusting the bottle he was holding to feed himself.

“You have him on your mind?” Dumbledore’s twinkle in his eye evident, even though there wasn’t much lighting in the room.

Lily looked up sharply, “how can I be thinking of anything else, Headmaster. I do not know what to think.”

“He is currently with Madam Pomfrey, though she does not know his true identity. I do not fault her vow as a healer, however I think it best for now that it is kept quiet.” 

“What do you plan on doing with him? Will he remain here at Hogwarts, an orphan all over again?” Lily frowned, what was the point of him becoming a baby again, only to have the same life?

“I admit, I have been cautious on what to do with him, but I think the answer may lie in the prophecy, But one born from a Wintertime flower, can release the constraints of the cursed power. Forgive my forwardness, but what season were you born, Lily?” 

The frown still on her face, she shifted Harry to the other side, “Ma ma ma” he was babbling, after finishing his bottle and waving it at her. 

“End of January, so Winter… You don’t think..?” Lily looked down at Harry, “One born from a wintertime flower, we thought last night that was literal, that it could be an ingredient for a potion.” She paused shortly again, “I don’t understand, Headmaster.” She refused to meet his gaze.

“I think you do understand, Lily, for you are a winter flower. However, it states one born from, you understand, this must be Harry, or now knowing that you have another babe on the way, it could mean them too.” 

“No.” It can’t be her babies, that monster killed their father, there was no way she would be letting it near them! She thought of James, and what he would expect her to do. There was a baby with no positive future, yet, she had two of her own babies to care for. She knew James held high priority for family, above all else. But he also took in Sirius, who had a terrible family, he took in Remus, who had a terrible childhood with lycanthropy. He had a heart of gold, and accepted whatever was thrown in his direction. But he had hated Severus… He had hated Slytherin and everything Slytherin had stood for. 

“At the very least, it must be considered, I had thought of Poppy, but of course she never had children of her own… Unless, your sister…”

“No. She was born mid-year.” Lily sighed. “What are you expecting, Headmaster? That I would let my children play with him? That they would grow up as friends?” Her voice was getting louder, but the sound of a door opening stopped her from continuing.

“Is everything okay out here?” Sirius asked, using the towel around his neck to rub at his wet hair. 

“PA-FOOOO” Harry squealed and threw his bottle onto the floor and raised his arms up at Sirius. Sirius made his way over and lifted Harry into the air, “Goodmorning, cub!”

“Goodmorning, Sirius. Yes, we were just discussing the prophecy.” Dumbledore responded, waving a hand about as if they were talking about the weather.

Sirius froze and frowned. He looked over at Lily, “I thought it was discussed last night, why are you continuing now? Without everyone else here?” He pointed his wand at the stuffed dragon on the nearby table, and charmed it to fly around just above the ground, roaring. Harry squealed and demanded, “Pa-foo, own!” Sirius put him on the floor and Harry started crawling after the dragon.

“Siri, the Headmaster believes the prophecy is talking about Harry, or...” she placed a hand down on her stomach and stroked it gently. 

“James would never agree to Lord Voldemort living with his wife and son! Are you mad?” Sirius couldn’t raise his voice as he wished to do, since Harry was still crawling around the room. “Find someone else, Headmaster.” He started following Harry around the room, charming the dragon to change colours, and spout small puffs of smoke in different colours in Harry’s direction; he was still squealing in delight trying to reach for it, “Agon!”

Dumbledore gave an almost imperceptible sigh and stood up, Harry stopped and looked up at him, the dragon getting away from him. “I will leave you two to talk about it with Remus, and please, Lily, remember you have a very big support network here, especially at Hogwarts. Perhaps it would be beneficial to speak with all of them too.” He nodded at Sirius and Lily, looked at Harry over his half-moon spectacles and smiled at him, then strode out the door. 

“I don’t understand how he came to Harry with that prophecy,” Sirius started, getting Harry’s attention with the tennis-ball sized snitch toy, again, charming it to zoom away from Harry, though this time Harry was able to catch it before letting it go again. 

“It’s the wintertime flower, he seems to think that is me, since no one else we know fits that part, and since it’s one born from that flower, he’s jumped to Harry and the new baby,” Lily picked up the forgotten stuffed dragon, and the bottle and moved to put them away. 

“But why not someone else entirely different? Why do they have to be someone we know?” 

“Didn’t you ever listen in Divination, Siri?” Lily sighed at him, “Prophecies are believed to be foretold by, and to, people who may have some connection to the events being foretold, whether as a ripple effect or by direct impact.” 

“That doesn’t make sense,” Sirius laughed but Lily interjected, “It does make sense, Siri, because the bigger the effect something might have, the wider the ripple effect and the more people it may be talking about. So often, if someone has heard a prophecy, it will be someone they have crossed paths with at some point in their lives.”

“I’m still not following, Divination was stupid, and it still is, isn’t it Prongslet?” He had scooped Harry up, who was reaching beneath the lounge trying to get the snitch ball and squealed in fright. 

“Pa-foo! Nitch, where?” Harry was looking around Sirius, in search of the snitch ball, Sirius laughed. Lily gave up trying to explain it to Sirius, knowing she’d never get through to him.   
“Sirius, we need to…” she started softly and paused, “James…” 

Sirius stopped playing with Harry for a moment and looked over at Lily, knowing exactly what she was talking about. “His parents are in Godric’s Hollow too, aren’t they?” 

“Yes. I think we should invite most of the Order, though I don’t think Mad-Eye or Kingsley would make it, Mad-Eye would say there are too many of us in one place… Kingsley has too much on his plate in the Ministry…” 

“Close family is enough, Lils, and those that make the effort are the only ones that deserve to be there. We can ask Dumbledore to cast some extra protection on the church and graveyard for the night, I think the later the better.” Sirius placed Harry on the floor and grabbed hold of his fingers, trying to guide him to walk to his mother. 

“Come here, Harry, come to mummy!” she crouched to his level and tried to get his attention. 

“I’m not leaving Harry behind, he will be there to say goodbye too,” she had tears in her eyes, but her watery smile still pushed through as Harry took a wobbly step towards her, still using Sirius’ arms heavily for support. 

“I’d never expect anything less, Lils.” There was silence, except for Harry’s excited babble as he slowly made his way to Lily with her encouragement and Sirius’ support. Harry wasn’t quite ready to be walking yet, but Sirius loved the light in Lily’s face when she saw Harry taking the steps, so he continued, practically carrying Harry across the floor.

She grabbed Harry out of Sirius’ arms when he reached her, “Oh, my big boy! You’ll be walking in no time!” She snuggled him close, putting her nose against his as he squealed and grabbed her hair, “Ma ma!”

“I’m going to go see Severus today…” she looked over at Sirius as he stood up. He gave her a look.

“Good luck with Snivelly, I think I’ll go check out the secret passages, make sure they’re still the same, and ready for Harry to-”

“Not again, Siri! We’ve been through this, you are not showing Harry anything that will get him in trouble!”

“Oh come on, Lils, look at him!” He waved his arm towards Harry, who had a handful of Lily’s hair in his mouth, “He’s going to be the biggest troublemaker Hogwart’s has ever seen! He’s a baby Marauder!” 

Lily raised an eyebrow at him, and used her spare hand to cover Harry’s ears. Hopelessly since she only had one hand, and Harry started squirming towards Sirius, “Pa-foo, pay!” 

Sirius laughed, and Lily handed him over, “incorrigible” she muttered as she went to pack a day bag for Harry so they could visit Severus. 

“Your mummy is so silly, Prongslet,” Sirius whispered to Harry loudly, as he bounced him up and down. 

“I heard that!” she called out from across the room.


	3. Chapter 3 - A funeral and a history lesson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer - I do not own any part of this story except the idea - all characters, settings and plots that are similar to J.K. Rowling's work belongs to her.

Chapter 3 - A funeral and a history lesson

It was an eerie, dark night, where there seemed to be no wind and no sound coming from the area of the graveyard. Twelve witches and Wizards stood (or were being held, in the case of Harry Potter) silently, as they farewelled one of their own. A soft sob was heard as Lily Potter handed her son to his godfather, and she fell to her knees beside the hole in the ground. Unspoken, the remaining witches and wizards each placed their hand on the shoulder of the person beside them, leading down to Lily's shoulders, all silently providing their support to her.

It was some time before she stood, and with a soft nod, Albus Dumbledore gestured to everyone to raise their wands. As they did, small mounds of dirt raised from the pile next to the dug out grave, and they slowly lowered their piles on top of the coffin at the base of the grave. Methodically, but respectfully, they continued to support one another as they filled in the grave. The headstone sat there, filling Sirius with a sense of finality, who softly whispered, "Goodbye, Prongs. I vow to take care of her, and your children. I would say as if they were my own, but we both know Lils would not appreciate that..." A half smile on his face, he looked down at Harry who was watching him, "Da?"

"Sorry Prongslet, time to say goodbye to your dad…" He shifted Harry to one side and used his spare hand and placed it on his heart, "Bye, dad," he showed Harry. "Bye, da?" Harry placed his hand over Sirius', and Sirius fought back the tears in his eyes, "Yes, Harry. Bye, dad." Sirius shifted their hands to place them over Harry's heart, and whispered it again, as Harry placed his head onto Sirius shoulder and snuggled in.

Lily appeared at their side, and not wanting to disturb Harry's sleepy look, she left him on Sirius' hip and gave Harry a rub on his arm, and a kiss on his head. Harry opened his heavy eyes, "Ma ma, bye da" he said, and lifted one hand and placed it on her cheek. She couldn't hold back her tears at that, "That's right Harry, but he will always be with us," she kissed him again, and was pulled away by Alice and Frank Longbottom.

"That was a beautiful send-off, I'm sure James would have been proud," Frank placed a hand on Lily's arm, "I know it shouldn't be necessary, but Lily, we are certainly happy it wasn't you and Harry alongside James in that grave, I hope you know that." He locked eyes with Lily, and she nodded, tear stains still on her cheeks.

"How is Neville?" Lily asked, as she moved to give Alice a small hug. "Sleeping at his grandmother's, at least that's how I left him. She seems adamant he should be showing some signs of accidental magic, but I didn't have any accidental magic until I was at least four or five. Frank wasn't much better, were you darling?" She gave him a gentle nudge, and he smiled, "No I guess not, I think I was four, but my mother likes to embellish it, and I think she's convinced herself I was one and a half. Now, anytime we take Neville to visit her, she's watching him like a hawk! I saw her bouncing him up and down the other day, getting higher and higher, before I had to step in and stop her!"

"You didn't tell me that!" Alice looked affronted, but said it quietly. "Yes, well.." Frank began, looking at Lily for support.

Professors McGonagall and Flitwick appeared at Lily's side, "Lily, you were so brave, we're so sorry about James," Professor McGonagall began, and her gaze searched out Sirius, who stood nearby holding a now sleeping Harry. "How's Harry doing? Have you taken him to St Mungo's for a checkup? Or seen Poppy at least?" She asked Lily quietly, still watching Sirius as he softly rocked Harry while talking quietly with Remus. She watched as Remus reached out to take Harry. Harry must have been awake, as she saw him reach his hands out to Remus, and Sirius let him go reluctantly.

"Professor Dumbledore advised against St Mungo's at this time, but we did go and see Poppy. She checked over us both, and thinks a Mind Healer might be a good idea in the future, but since Harry can't verbalise much yet, we won't know about any trauma until he's a bit older. Thankfully she doesn't think there are any long-term effects other than a -" Lily was cut off by raised voices.

"You know just as well as I do that we can't do that, Sirius!" Remus's raised his voice, rocking Harry, who was blissfully tucked into Remus's shoulder, stroking the soft jacket Remus had on.

"We can't just sit here while he is out there, what don't you get!" Sirius was pacing in front of him, the eyes of the few people left mingling starting to watch their heated discussion. "All we've done is sit, I don't know how much longer I can do it knowing he might come back to finish whatever he started!"

Lily rushed over to them, "Sirius, I know this is hard -"

"Of course it's hard! HE'S GONE and I can't get him the closure he deserves!" He stepped away from her and ran his hand through his hair, like he always did when he was frustrated. "I lost my brother at the hand of my friend," he whispered.

Remus lowered his voice, "I don't think it's James who needs the closure here, Padfoot. We're all in the same boat here, I lost my friend too."

Lily took Harry from Remus, and he looked at her through half closed eyes. "Ma, ma," he muttered and grabbed a fist full of her hair. She took a quick look around to see who was still in the small cemetery. Thankfully Professor McGonagall had the heart to start sending people off, knowing that they all needed a bit of privacy.

Remus stepped towards Sirius and placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's not the time for revenge, Sirius. When we have the facts laid out, then we can reconsider, but..."

"It is time for revenge when that rat could come back at any time! I don't know what he wants and I need to know! Why?! Why would he betray us!" He was breathing heavily, fists clenched at his sides. "If we could just track him somehow and -"

"Are you listening to yourself, Sirius?" Lily scoffed, not able to stay quiet any longer. "You want to go chase after Peter, go for it. But don't you dare kill yourself, or anyone else, trying! You might have lost your brother, but you haven't lost your family. I lost my best friend, my husband and Harry? He lost his father! And now you want him to lose his Godfather too?"

Harry was wide awake now, watching his mother from his spot on her hip. Remus wasn't sure who's side to take. He understood Sirius' need to seek answers, and get revenge for James, but he knew his responsibilities lay with Lily and Harry, and the new baby.

"Of course that's not what I want!" Sirius snapped at her.

"Then what is it, Sirius? To take off after Peter, or to stay with us, with your family?" She asked him angrily.

"Padfoot, it's not the time to go after Peter. We can think things through," Remus took a step towards Sirius.

"That's your solution to everything, Moony!" Sirius turned towards Remus and poked a finger in his direction, "'Let's think about it', 'Let's get permission before we do anything', 'Let's -" Sirius mocked Remus.

"Oh, because your way of handling things has gone so much better? All you do is run head first into things! You never think of the consequences!" Remus argued back.

"I don't care about the consequences!" Sirius shouted and Lily matched his anger, "You better start caring about the consequences, Sirius Black! Because that now includes Harry, and my new baby, and Merlin help you if they're not good enough!"

Harry started to cry at the raised voices, "Da, Da, Da!"

The fight left Lily, as she tried to calm down Harry. "Shh, Harry it's okay, mama's here." She gave one last look in Sirius' direction, "Do whatever you want Sirius," and she walked away.

Harry crying seemed to snap them out of their argument, Remus and Sirius stared at each other for a few moments. Sirius sighed, "The longer we wait, the further away he gets and the trail runs cold."

"I get it Padfoot, I do. But with Prongs gone, you know he would have wanted us with Lily and Harry. Especially now with the new baby." Remus said softly, he reached a hand out to grab Sirius' shoulder, and pulled him in for a hug. "Look, we'll even start working out a way to find Peter, but you have to let me keep the reins. We can't afford to lose you too." He hugged Sirius tighter, trying to convey his need for Sirius to remain with them. Sirius hugged Remus back, and after a moment, Remus felt his shoulders start shaking as he sobbed silently.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Lily, in the company of Remus while Sirius looked after Harry for a few hours in their quarters, approached the doors of the hospital wing. She knew what was waiting behind the doors, and she didn't want to face it. Dumbledore had called for her the day after the funeral to meet him in the hospital wing, and without any reasons, Lily jumped to the only conclusion she could; it was where Tom Riddle currently was. She was thankful Remus had offered to come with her, since he was the more level headed of her husband's two best friends, and she was still holding a grudge against Sirius' idea of leaving them to find Peter.

She felt Remus place his hand on her arm, and she looked at him. Something on her face must have given her away, as Remus gave her a soft smile, "you're not afraid of a baby are you, Lily?"

She considered the question for a moment, knowing he meant to jest, but was she really afraid of this baby? This baby was the reason she lost her best friend, the reason her children would grow up without a father. Her free hand absently went to her stomach, and she tried to smile at Remus.

"I thought you were the serious one of the Marauders, Moony."

"Well I'm not Sirius, but I'm still a Marauder, of course," he chuckled softly at the long overused joke. "I know this will be hard, but we're family, Lily. I will be there every step, and so will Sirius. He's not going to run off on his manhunt, at least not until we have any sort of trail to follow. We all want what's best for you, Harry and the new little Prongslet."

"Thanks Remy," Lily sighed and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do this."

"There's our fiery red-head," smiled Remus.

Pushing open the doors to the hospital wing, Lily and Remus were faced with two rows of empty beds. Towards the back of the long room, near the office door, was a blue partition separating what they remembered as a section holding at least two beds. Remus knew this hospital wing like the back of his hand, after all his monthly visits, and Lily started visiting him more often than not to help him through the days after a full moon.

Dumbledore must have known they were coming in at that moment as his head popped out from around the partition, "Lily, Remus. Thankyou for coming, we have much to discuss. Please, come into Poppy's office. She'll join us shortly."

Lily and Remus looked at each other before following Dumbledore into the small office of the Hogwarts mediwitch. Two extra chairs had been conjured for their meeting, and Dumbledore took Poppy's seat at her desk.

"It's been almost five days since that night, and while he has been in the care of Poppy, we can no longer leave her in the dark to his identity. She has held her suspicions for a few days now, and without giving her answers I'm afraid she will start looking for them." He absently rubbed the side of his face and readjusted his glasses. Lily had a slight frown on her face, "Why haven't you told her, you've made the situation clear to everyone in the Order so far."

"I was afraid her fear may take her to the wrong people and cause panic. However, now that her test results have been finalised and we can view them altogether, it is time to discuss what is to happen," Dumbledore picked up a plain cream-yellow folder off Poppy's desk and looked at the cover, contemplating whether to open it or not.

Poppy rushed in at the moment, closing the door gently behind her and approaching the spare seat in the room. "He's down for a sleep now, but if his recent schedule is anything to go by, he will be awake again in a short while, so let's make this quick, Headmaster. Hello Lily, Hello Remus!"

Lily and Remus acknowledged Poppy's hello with a small nod and quiet greeting, Professor Dumbledore watched as Poppy took her seat, still holding the folder in his hands. A short moment of silence passed in the room, before he sighed almost silently.

"It is time to tell you the truth, Poppy," he began, once again meeting eyes with Poppy. "That little baby in the hospital wing right now has come to us under dire circumstances, as you are aware, having run all the tests you have. However, I haven't yet told you who he is exactly. His name is Tom Riddle."

Poppy looked slightly confused, she leant forward in her chair as if expecting Dumbledore to continue.

"Tom Riddle is a descendent of Salazar Slytherin, and heir to the Ancient House of Gaunt. He has, until recently, been known as the 'Dark Lord', or self-proclaimed, 'Lord Voldemort'."

This time, Poppy gasped loudly, as most people did at hearing the Dark Lord's name said without fear. "That doesn't make any sense, Headmaster." Poppy was in denial, "I can understand the babe being a descendent and heir to the Ancient House of Gaunt, but the rest, that's just not possible!" She looked over to Lily and Remus, checking if they were as shocked by what was said too.

"It's true," Lily said softly, "I was there the night it happened," she looked down at her hands in her lap, not able to make eye contact while thinking of that horrible night. Things could have gone so much worse, but the memory of losing James was still too much and she couldn't stop the prickling feeling in her eyes and the lump forming in her throat.

"But… But how?" Poppy's eyes were wide, she was lost for words, not sure where to begin with her thoughts. She continued to look back and forth from Professor Dumbledore and Lily, who was still sitting beside Remus. Remus had his hand on Lily's arm, providing silent support.

"I believe it is all about a prophecy, involving a broken soul that needs mending…" Dumbledore began, "It may be time to give Tom Riddle a second chance to redeem himself, in a better environment than what he first experienced."

"A prophecy!" Poppy froze, her eyes wider still as she stared at Professor Dumbledore expecting him to tell her it was all a joke. Prophecies are the most meddlesome of magic, they can be misinterpreted by every single person that hears them.

"Yes, Poppy, a prophecy. I heard it myself, and -" Professor Dumbledore was cut off.

"You know how flimsy prophecies are, headmaster! What makes you think this prophecy is about him!" Poppy was standing now, unable to hold in her anger at the news. Albus Dumbledore was the only person in Hogwarts, aside from Minerva McGonagall, who knew her boggart was You-Know-Who, and to think he forced her to take care of him, she could never forgive the headmaster for this.

"I'm sorry, Albus, but I will no longer have any part in the care of that monster out there. I am going to St Mungo's, and when that babe is gone, I will reconsider returning. My duties to my Healer's Oath are currently fulfilled, he is as healthy as can be expected, and there are no dark magics surrounding him that could be sensed. I will owl you with what I need from my office once I am settled." She turned towards Lily and Remus, "I'm sorry I cannot be of assistance here any longer, however you may floo call me anytime if either of you need anything."

With that, Poppy Pomfrey walked out of her office in the Hogwarts Infirmary. Silence in the room followed, Lily seemed shocked at Poppy's response while Remus had a frown on his face. Remus knew how helpful Poppy was to dark creatures, she had helped him from the day he had been accepted into Hogwarts, it seemed unusual for her to not take her healer's oath to heart and help even those undeserving. She'd stayed true to her Healer's Oath until this point with the baby in the infirmary, but she just stated she would refuse to continue treating You-Know-Who. Things could have gone so wrong if Poppy had done the same to him when he had entered Hogwarts.

Professor Dumbledore sighed again, and put the folder back on the desk, he hadn't even had a chance to discuss the results with Poppy in the room, so he would have to look at them in detail later. "Lily, I -," once again he had been cut off.

"It's not my place to step between you and Poppy, Headmaster, so please just tell me what you called me in here for and I'll get back to my Harry." Lily couldn't look straight at Professor Dumbledore, she wasn't sure about Poppy's reaction, but her fear, clouded by her anger, seemed to rattle the room.

"Very well. We have already discussed the idea of you looking after baby Tom, and I implore you to really think about the circumstances. I have only shared snippets of Tom's first life, in his orphanage, but I think you need to know the full truth to really hear me." He leaned back in the chair, and propped his half-moon glasses back up his crooked nose.

"Tom Riddle was a baby born of a love potion," he began. "As you may have studied, love potions are dangerous, not only for those inflicted by them, but for those born from them. It is folklore that any child born from a love potion will be born without the ability to know love, and that is why love potions were made illegal back in early times."

"If they've been illegal for long, how have they continued to this time where it is still possible for a witch to have such a child?" Remus asked. He knew love potions were dangerous, they learned about them in their sixth year at Hogwarts, under strict advisory never to brew it outside of the classroom for threat of being sent to Azkaban if found.

"It's those without a Hogwarts education, or any wizardry education for that matter, that are most inclined to perform magics that are well-known to be illegal. Tom Riddle's mother was one such witch, who did not have any magical training or education. She was treated as a house elf, and when she finally set her sights on Tom Riddle Senior, she seemed so desperate to be rid of her family, she sought whatever means she could to have Tom Riddle Senior to herself."

Lily was watching Professor Dumbledore, he seemed almost cold to the story, showing no emotional reaction, unless he had known the story for so long that it was just information to him now. Lily tried to imagine what it would be like not having family support, since her own sister had turned her back on her, but her parents were supportive from day one of finding out she had magic. Her imagination could only go so far, so she felt sorry for Tom Riddle's mother.

"Merope Gaunt, daughter of Marvolo Gaunt, was thought to be a squib. However, she did have very weak bouts of magic, thought to be brought on by the anger she had at her father and brother for the way they treated her. These didn't seem to last long, as she was subdued into subservience often. She had no backbone, until the day she decided she had to have Tom Riddle Senior. I don't know the specifics of how she managed to get the love potion, but from the information I managed to obtain, Merope Gaunt had fed Tom Riddle Senior the love potion after a chance encounter with him in town on her family errands. From the town's history, it is said that Tom Riddle Senior left his fiance for Merope, who was known as the town oddity. But together, Tom and Merope lived a happy, though false, life for the next eighteen months. When Merope was heavily pregnant, she was unable to obtain more of the love potion to keep Tom Riddle Senior around."

Lily and Remus were so taken with the story they had never heard, that they had hardly shifted in their seats except to move slightly forward as Professor Dumbledore spoke softer, as if he was recalling memories that were not his own.

"Tom Riddle Senior finally snapped out of the love potion haze, and without any declaration of love to Merope, that I'm sure she expected, he left her and their unborn child."

"That poor mother… I couldn't imagine her heartache," Lily said out loud. As a mother, she had the love of her husband, but with him now gone, she could only feel sorry for the mother in this story knowing how it felt to lose the love of your life. Remus once again placed his hand on Lily's arm in support, "She must have known the potion would wear off, since she was giving it to him continuously from the sounds of it… I suppose she had false hopes of him developing the love on the inside, that she saw under the guise of the potion."

"Yes Remus, that's another reason the potion was made illegal, it never had a success rate of producing the love that was seen when it was administered. And so, the night Merope had her baby, she was alone, it was a stormy night, and she ended up on the steps of the orphanage that Tom Riddle was raised in. He was born in the early hours of the morning, and Merope passed after complications of the birth, telling the matron of the orphanage the baby was to share her love's name, and her father's name, thus, naming him Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"So, you see, Lily. Tom Riddle never stood a chance, without love, one only knows fear, anger, jealousy, and it festers deep within one's soul until it is irreparable. There are only a few other known cases of love potion children, for their hatred against the world seems so great, Gellert Grindelwald was one of them, and if you look back into our history, it may not surprise you to know of others that caused great harm to our worlds, were of this origin too."

Shock showed on Lily and Remus' faces, they had not known of the history of love potion babies, but now it was something Remus was interested in researching. He was curious as to why Professor Dumbledore now believed that this case could be changed. Though, he certainly hadn't heard of any historical events of the downfall of dark wizards turning into babies for a second chance at life. Lily felt her heart tighten at the thought of the defenseless little babe that was born into the world without a mother or father, and without love. She thought back to the night Harry was born, and almost let a bubble of laughter escape at her memory of James and Sirius running around in a state of severe panic. How could she let another little baby experience no love, after feeling her own heart expand at the new love of her life, her dear little Harry, and knowing it will expand again for her new little one due in a few more months. She knew her heart could expand to take in baby Tom, but could she forgive him for what he did to the father of her children? Would she subconsciously treat him differently if he were to be in the same household as her children, could she trust him as he got older to be around her children?

"I know what you're trying to do, Headmaster," Lily said softly as she continued thinking about the situation. She could tell he was trying to guilt her motherly instincts to take in the baby. "I just don't know if I am strong enough. I keep wondering how James would react to this situation..."

"You know he would support whatever decision you made, Lils, or he'd be sleeping on the couch for a week." Remus gave Lily a smile, trying to lighten the situation. "Whatever you choose Lily, you're not alone. You've got me, Sirius, even Severus from what I hear." Remus had heard that Lily had gone to make amends with Severus.

"You will also have the full support of the staff here at Hogwarts, Lily, including the House elves. Do not believe you will be doing this alone," Professor Dumbledore offered. "The best chance Tom Riddle has of becoming something other than what he was, is under your loving guidance, and the comfort of a family. Poppy's tests have confirmed Tom is approximately ten months old. This seems to still be accurate to his original birthday of the thirty-first of December, at which time he will turn one. Since he is considered small for his age, Poppy has requested Severus brew a newborn's nutrition potion to see him reach his age appropriate weight and height. We have discussed the possibilities of any residual dark magic, however without further, and more experienced charms for curse checks that are not recommended on children, we cannot rule out permanently that there will be no lasting effects."

"Can't rule it out? Are you saying he may still have his affinity for dark magic? Headmaster, I cannot let that possibility near my children! What if he has bouts of accidental dark magic? I'm supposed to just risk the lives of my children? Because I will not! You need to make sure that that baby will not harm any of my children in any situations before I can consider taking him into my home." Lily leant back in her chair and folded her arms, her chin jutting out slightly in her signature stubbornness.

"I can place monitoring charms on him, however I believe your own magic has already created a shield over your children. Do you not wonder why Harry survived that night? I'm sure Tom Riddle hadn't intended to turn himself into a babe that night, so there was definitely some other ancient magic at work that night," Professor Dumbledore looked over his half-moon glasses at Lily inquiringly.

"I don't know what you mean, Headmaster. James and I put ourselves under the Fidelius charm at your recommendation and changed Sirius as our secret keeper at his recommendation and look how those have turned out," Lily seemed to be deflecting, but Professor Dumbledore didn't push it any further. He needed Lily to take in Tom, so getting her defences up now were not beneficial to his goals.

Remus hadn't anything to add to the charms discussion, as that was more Lily's expertise. He still felt remorseful that James and Lily hadn't trusted him enough to be privy to who was secret keeper; despite their reassurances, he knew deep down they suspected him of being the possible traitor that they had been warned about. Of course, Remus didn't hold it against them, he would have felt the same way having a werewolf for a friend, but he vowed that he would put his friends first from that night on, they were his true family.

"We will do as much research as we can to make this situation as safe as it possibly could be, Lily. I vow to that. You'll have all of us by your side."

Lily sighed, the fight leaving her. She knew deep down she couldn't abandon a baby. Had she hoped the Headmaster would find someone else to take him? Yes. Was she unsure she would be a fit enough mother to raise him? Yes. Did she believe her husband would turn the baby away, when his own values had hated anything 'dark magic' but had allowed Sirius into their lives from the moment they met? No, she knew he wouldn't. His heart of gold was what made him a Gryffindor, dive in first, face your mistakes later.

"Okay, I'll take him as soon as you have cast those monitoring charms. I also want a familial bind charm on his magic until we are certain he can control it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are a beta and would be interested in helping me with this story, please send me a PM.


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